By Pamela Redmond · Updated September 2026
Across 73 pages
of 73
English elaboration of Lucia or Lucy
"light"
Lace-hankie name with Shakespearean pedigree.
Scottish and English from French
"someone who lives on an island"
Though it's used far more often for boys, Lyle has a lot in common with today's trending girl names that share the double L sound: Lila, Layla, and Lola. With its cool island related meaning, derived…
English word name
"whimsical or fanciful"
Whimsy is a new entry to the ever-expanding word name lexicon, sister for Pixie and Bliss. While it has an undeniable offbeat English aristocratic charm (maybe we're thinking of Dorothy Sayers'…
Botanical name, English
"rough stream"
Yarrow is a flowering herb that grows wild in Europe and North America, and has long been used in several Native American and European cultures as a healing plant. Named for the mythical god Achille,…
English, derived from Zulu, South African tribal name
Related to the powerful South African warrior people, sometimes chosen by African-Americans to celebrate their heritage. Zula is also a Norwegian diminutive of Zuzanna.
English
"town near the moor"
An English family name used a few generations ago as an Anglicization of Moses, but hardly heard since th 1950s.
English occupational name
"doorkeeper"
Literary, occupational, and very neglected.
English, diminutive of Nathan or Nathaniel
Just the kind of old-fashioned nickname coming back into style.
"island-dweller"
Intriguing meaning, but stuffy sound.
English occupational name, carpenter or "nailer"
"nailer"
Unique name for the son of a woodworker.
"dark stone"
A two-syllable surname feel puts this name of an important English saint in the running -- though it could sound like a confused cross between Duncan and Dustin.
"land or river bend shaped like a nose"
A family name that wouldn't appeal to many parents.
"new building"
Surname choice that's neither new nor bold. Newbold was the middle name of Edith Wharton.
"new borough, new settlement"
A name only a bully could love.
English variation of Neville
One of several surnames beginning with New that nevertheless sound anything but.
"new land"
Some will see this as spirited, others stuffy. The protagonist of the Edith Wharton novel The Age of Innocence was a popular and successful lawyer named Newbold Archer.
"newcomer"
Family name best used in the middle, especially since it was seen as the portly postman in Seinfeld.
English place-name
"new port"
For sailors or jazz lovers. Or smokers of menthol cigarettes.
Medieval English variation of Tristan, “noise or sorrowful"
This version of Tristan, known to English Lit students from the novel Tristram Shandy , is rarely used in this country, but, though its similarity to the popular Tristan could prove confusing, still…
"son of Nicol"
If you're looking for a Nicholas substitute or namesake, Nicholson would make a more distinctive path to the likable nickname Nick, fitting in with other newer patronymics like Anderson and Harrison.…
